Tranquility

Chapter 39: Nevermore

Present
Jo's POV

He looks at me like I'm a foreign object.

Like I'm breakable.

I've always hated when people looked at me like like but I don't blame him. After everything I just told him this is kinda what I was expecting.

I watch the anger, hurt, and sadness wash over his face as I tell him everything. Absolutely everything. Of course there's so much more, but I've mentally blocked out a lot of it. There's more that I can electorate more, but I won't unless he wants me too.

I think I've overwhelmed him already though.

His reaction isn't one I was expecting though. He pulls me closer onto his lap from where I'm standing in the room and hugs me. I tight hug. One that says I'm here for you.

"You're not alone anymore, that'll never happen to you again, understand?" He says to me softly and I nod, resting my head on his shoulder.

"I have one question actually..." I say softly and pull back from the embrace. I take his face in my hands and play with his hair softly. "Are you Finn?" I ask and his face goes blank. Fight for flight.

"What? No-" he says and I shake my head. I keep playing with his hair softly and he has the same face on.

"Baby... I saw your picture in the file. Fucking hot if you ask me. But I know it's you, I should've known from when I first heard the name." I say and his face softens. He looks full of relief and completely scared at the same time.

"I wanted to tell you, trust me I did baby. But it puts you at so much risk. Only my close people like Felix and Morgan know, so it's only right that you know," he tells me and I smile softly. I kiss him softly and pull back.

"Finn leads the gang, Hero executes his plans. It's smart, but also completely stupid," I say and he plays with my hair and pulls me closer.

"I started it a long time ago, and I wasn't gonna keep him around but then someone said one thing and the word spread," he tells me and I nod.

"Just hold me," I say softly and he nods, pulling me closer then before.

Hero's POV

"Just hold me," she says softly and I nod, pulling closer then I had her before.

I don't blame her, I can see just from how she was talking to me she was drained. Emotional drained. I hold her close to me and I kiss her head softly. "Let's lay down, okay?" I say softly to her and she nods.

I help her lay down on top of me and she molds to my body like I was made for her. She buries her head in my neck and I play with her hair a little bit until I feel the wetness on my neck. "Baby..." I say when I realize she's crying. I sit both of us up now so I can see her face perfectly.

"I'm sorry... it never really hit me until now," she tells me and I wipe her tears for her. "How much he hurt me, how damaged I am... why do you want me Hero? I'm damaged goods," she cries to me and I shake my head.

"No baby, no you're not. Not at all," I say and she starts playing with the edges of my shirt.

"You heard what happened..." she says and I make her eyes meet mine.

"But that's not who you are anymore. You're not the girl who's afraid of nothing, you're not the girl who..." shivers take through me. "You're not the girl who had her best friends father abuse her. You're not the girl who's had a lot of drug overdoses to try to teach you a lesson. You're not the girl who had her other best friend lie to her. You're not the girl who had her best friend kill someone from drunk driving. You're not the girl who got up in front of a entire funeral and basically said fuck you to her friend. You're not the girl who got sexually assaulted. You're Josephine Langford now." I say and she looks at me like she doesn't believe me.